Shadows behind the flashy lights: Eunbin Kwon’s longing for an ‘ordinary life’ > News

Kwon Eun-bin confessed without hesitation the deep emptiness and anxiety she felt while working in the entertainment industry through her SNS. Looking back on her past activities, she confessed that she felt like a 'shell' of herself, which suggests identity confusion resulting from the gap between the image she shows to the public and her actual self. It suggests that there was an inner deficiency that could not be filled simply by being popular or loved by the public, and he also revealed his honest feelings that his years of activity were not emotionally beneficial. This confession is quite shocking to many people as it suggests that the glamorous life in the entertainment industry can actually seriously erode an individual's mental health.

It is worth noting that her announcement of retirement was not a sudden decision, but rather a decision made after a long period of deliberation. In fact, Kwon Eun-bin appears to have been gradually weeding out her connections with the entertainment industry, such as deleting her portal site profile after the expiration of her exclusive contract with her former agency. This is not simply a temporary change in emotions, but a move that reflects a strong will to proactively plan one's own future. She made it clear that from now on, she will seek a way of life that will make her happy, without being bound by other people's evaluations or external perspectives. Her courage in choosing her own happiness rather than the uncertain future of the entertainment industry resonates greatly with modern people.

Looking at Eunbin Kwon's actions, it shows a very different result from the time when she made a brilliant debut, leaving a strong impression on the public through 'Produce 101' in 2016. Since she was active in the group CLC and solidified her position as an actress in the dramas 'After School War Activities' and 'Because I Don't Want to Lose', this retirement comes as even more unexpected news. In particular, since she was continuing her career as an actress even after CLC effectively ended its activities in 2022, we can guess how deep the worries she must have been about her career. She plans to end all official activities in public with the last scheduled performance at CLC Taiwan, and is showing a firm attitude that she will not receive any personal questions or contacts after that.

This incident makes us look again at whether our society is consuming the profession of celebrities like expendable goods and whether we are being too complacent about the mental pain they experience. The ‘meaningless time’ and ‘negative human relationships’ mentioned by Eunbin Kwon may be the inevitable loneliness that individuals experience in the special environment of the entertainment industry. Her retirement should not be interpreted as simply the departure of a celebrity, but as a declarative act of an individual seeking to independently redefine his or her life. Her choice to escape the gaze of others and take care of her inner self poses a fundamental question to all of us who live in a society centered on speed and performance: ‘What is true happiness?’